Wednesday, January 26, 2011

So, today I have a lot of doubts about the decision to helmet. There's that small nagging part of me that worries the helmet might cause brain/development issues down the road. Then I think, what kind of issues would the flat head cause? Ugh. I know it could be WAY worse and I should be so happy I only have to deal with a flat head, but sometimes I can't help feeling sorry for myself...and my little munchkin. I hope I'm making the right decision!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Well, it's over. The casting that is. I think I was more worried for this than the actual wearing of the helmet. I heard horror stories about how it's a traumatic experience and it takes 15 minutes, etc. It really wasn't that bad at all. The office staff was warm and friendly which really helped us calm our nerves. My husband came with us and served as the entertainment. We couldn't have done it without him! I wish I had taken a picture of him quacking like a duck and bouncing all over the room just to make our little girl smile. Steve, the orthotist, was great as well as his assistant. They were both calm and moved quickly. We took a picture when they put the stocking cap on her head and then when it was all over with the picture we call plaster face.

Nice Hat!

You owe me one Mommy.

Plaster Face :)

The timestamps were 5 minutes apart. Not bad. Quinn was a trooper and really only got slightly upset near the end when she had a stocking cap on, one layer of plaster, a plastic bag covering half her face and another row of plaster. A little annoyed yell peeped out and that was all. After it was over, she was back to her smiley self! We were in and out in under an hour. I feel confident we made the right decision going with Steve and hope everything turns out well. We should get the helmet in about 2 weeks. We got pink.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Welcome to my blog! I'm starting this blog because when we found out little Quinn was a candidate for the helmet, I went searching like crazy for any info I could find. I scoured the internet for blogs, pictures, anything I could get my eyes on. If this blog helps one mom out there as she embarks on this crazy journey, well then I'm happy. Plus, it gives me an outlet for all my thoughts, emotions and experiences. I don't claim to be a wordsmith or a master blogger by any means so please forgive the simpleness! Anyway, here is where it begins...

We noticed Quinn had a flat spot on her left side at about 2 weeks. We mentioned it to her pediatrician and he basically shrugged it off and said make the right side of her life more interesting. We didn't really think much of it and thought it was cute how she had a "favorite position" to sleep in. At her two month appointment the pediatrician again sort of shrugged off her ever flattening side and said "put her on her side and pin her to the bed" (yup, you heard that right). Being first time parents, we were worried about many things, a flat spot just wasn't one of them (oh how we wish it was!). Well, at 4 months we were told it might be a good idea to see a neurosurgeon just to have it checked out. After about 2 minutes of glancing at her head, we were given a prescription for a helmet due to the technical term for flat head, Plagiocephaly, and sent on our way. NOOOOOOOOO! I could barely keep it together in the office. Quinn had been in a Pavlik harness for the first 9 weeks of her life for a hip dislocation, now to hear she had to be in a helmet? I had failed as a mother! My poor baby will not have a normal babyhood! People will stare! I was distraught. I had a million thoughts running through my head. Should we? Shouldn't we? Would it pop out? If it doesn't, what will she think when she's 13 and her glasses don't fit (and you know she will have mommy's crappy eyesight)? In the end, it felt like the right decision to afford her every opportunity in life and put her in the helmet. A few months now for a lifetime of beauty ;). Life is hard enough, you don't need to throw a crooked face and head in the mix (they said she had forehead bossing and crooked ears, too).

Quinn in her harness.

After the big decision to go forward came the decision on who was going to give her care. We heard horror stories on the plaster casting so we looked for the orthotists who would do the scan. We made our appointment with Star Cranial of Excelence. We walked in and the office staff was rude and the second Quinn laid eyes on the orthotist, she burst out in tears. They're out. We decided to go with an orthotist who our neurologist highly recommended. He swore he could do the casting in 4 minutes. We made our appointment. No looking back, here we go.

About Me

I'm the mommy of a beautiful little girl named Quinn born August 17, 2010. This is our journey through "Fixin' her Flat" head! I started this to help others who are about to embark on this scary experience and to have an outlet for my thoughts and emotions. I hope you enjoy!